


Longing in Dreams

by AmethystAuthoress



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But the important stuff is there, Fluff, I didn't exactly follow the book timeline and stuff perfectly, Pining, Pining Hermione Granger, Resolved Romantic Tension, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sexual Tension, Slow Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 13:37:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20436902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmethystAuthoress/pseuds/AmethystAuthoress
Summary: "Hermione dreamed of wind rustling red hair. She dreamed of freckles scattered like constellations across pale skin. She dreamed of laughter and how her heart beat faster at the smile directed for her - the one that seemed to exist only for her. She dreamed of cold hands cradling her face and soft lips, still quirked upwards, pressed against her mouth, her jaw, her neck..."Hermione Jean Granger is potentially in love with her best friend. What is she going to do about it?





	Longing in Dreams

Hermione dreamed of wind rustling red hair. She dreamed of freckles scattered like constellations across pale skin. She dreamed of laughter and how her heart beat faster at the smile directed for her - the one that seemed to exist only for her. She dreamed of cold hands cradling her face and soft lips, still quirked upwards, pressed against her mouth, her jaw, her neck...

Another day at Hogwarts always had pros and cons. Hermione liked to keep herself busy. She would get up, throw on her uniform, put her hair up if it were a potions day, and head down for breakfast. She didn't understand the need for all of the beauty charms the other girls used. Or, well, she never considered them...until recently...  
Sitting amongst her friends, she felt an odd peace yet tension. Harry was busy talking to Ginny, which made her stomach twist further, as it left only her and Ron to talk. The boy - man? - in question was simply gathering food on to his plate.  
"Oh, hey, 'Mione."  
"How many times have I told yo-"  
The admonishment was on her lips, words she had said many times before. Ron is looking at her with his clear blue eyes though, with eyelashes that seem far too light, and the corner of his mouth quirked upwards in a way that made her pause. She blushes, before opening her mouth to speak again.  
"You know what? Nevermind. I think the nickname might be growing on me."

How soft could hair actually be? Hermione wondered that as her fingers threaded through the soft tresses of hair. There was no wind this time, in her dreams. Just her fingers and the soft ginger hair. She vaguely wondered if she would ever be allowed to do this in real life, or if a request would be laughed off. Oh right, she was only dreaming...

Being awakened to the sound of Lavender's shrieking was never a good way to start the day. Especially not for Hermione. The two of them had issues in the past - from their disagreements on Trelawney's teachings to arguments over Harry's integrity. Hermione really never liked the girl after the stuff Lavender pulled during her short relationship with Ron though... ("Won-Won!" still rang in some of her nightmares and she thanked whatever god that might exist for Ron finally coming to his senses there.)  
Now, it wasn't nice to think badly of people. Hermione really tried not to. That didn't stop her flash of glee at seeing Lavender get smacked in the face with a pillow though. The teen looked livid, as the pillow drooped back down to the floor  
"How dare you!"  
"Someone had to stop that horrid noise. I, as usual, took one for the team."  
Ginny stated it so casually, that everyone else in the room seemed to miss the little wink and stuck out tongue she directed at Hermione. Man, Ginny had come a long way from being the scared eleven year old intimidated by the ideal of meeting THE Harry Potter. She had half the Gryffindor boys - and some from the other houses too - interested in her now.  
"I was singing!" Lavender protested.  
"Lavender, we love you, but that did not and does not count as singing," Parvati's voice rang out from the other side of the room.  
Only a "hmmph" could be heard, as the girl forced her shirt on and they left for breakfast. 

Freckles... So many freckles. They seemed to almost dance across the skin when in the dark, but the light solidified every firm placement. Hermione wondered if she would be able to accurately draw each freckle onto it's proper place, if given the proper materials to do so. After all, one had to know such details after so many years of seeing a face. Were her dreams as accurate as reality?

Hermione was slammed back into reality as a book fell near her head. Professor Snape was glaring down at her.  
"Is this a joke, Miss Granger?"  
"Excuse me?"  
She was so startled that it took her a few minutes to process where she was and what had happened.  
Oh.  
"Is this a joke? Is it funny to you to waste my valuable time by sleeping as I make an attempt to drive an education into you dunderheads?"  
Malfoy snickered from across the room, which Professor Snape ignored. Of course.  
"No, I'm sorry professor," Hermione said firmly, "It won't happen again."  
Professor Snape nodded at her.  
"See to it that it doesn't."  
The rest of the lecture continued without problem, though Hermione's eyes felt absurdly heavy. Neville tried to murmur to her about whether she was alright, which earned him only an odd smile, but he didn't try asking again for fear of the looming Snape. Their potion got completed (near perfect) and the class ended.  
Hermione had no idea how this had happened. She only hit this level of exhaustion before during the year with her time turner usage. Had her dreams been impacting her sleep more than she realized? She thought that dreaming meant that one had successfully hit a deep stage of sleep...though if she counted in all the times she woke up, covered in sweat and breathing quickly...  
"Miss Granger. A word."  
Just great.  
Hermione waved on her friends, despite Harry and Neville's looks of concern. Ginny gave her a salute, with a grimace. Ron took a moment to realize that she wasn't following, turning with a frown.  
"I'll catch up with you guys later."  
She turned back into the classroom, concerned over how Professor Snape might criticize - or punish - her further. To her surprise, he wasn't behind his desk. She waited awkwardly for a minute before he reappeared from a door leading to his storage rooms. He was holding a potions bottle.  
"Small dosage of Sleeping Draught. Use it sparingly, if needed."  
He passed the bottle to her. Hermione's tired mind spun, looking between the bottle and him. He sighed.  
"You obviously have not been sleeping well enough. I would prefer to teach to a class of conscious students. Drink it if you need it."  
Hermione nodded and thanked him, as it finally caught up to her brain.  
"Oh, and Miss Granger, try to keep that to yourself. I don't need students hounding me for personal potions."

That night was wonderful. Her dreams were vivid, yet blurred. Flashes of color - red, green, blue, brown, and pale flesh tones. The sound of laughter and leaves. The weight and warmth of a hand in hers. Happiness.

Though Hermione was waking up less while taking the Sleeping Draught potion, that meant that her dreams just continued longer. She started becoming unable to ignore them, as the fantasies leaked more into her daily life. She didn't just dream of pale skin against her own - she wanted to feel it.  
"Hermione? You alright?"  
Harry was standing above her in the Gryffindor common room, looking concerned.  
"Yes, fine." She said, quickly.  
"Are you sure? You didn't come down for dinner... We got real worried. Ginny ensured us that you looked perfectly fine this morning, but Ron still thought we should check in case you were sick..."  
Why does her friend group have to be so tangled? Dating a best friend, who is related to one of your other best friends... What would happen if things went south? What if her feelings weren't even returned to begin with? Hermione desperately wanted to ask Harry for advice, but she was worried that it would open a can of worms that she wouldn't be able to back away from. So, instead, she said:  
"Ensure Ron that I'm fine - but that it was sweet of him to ask after me. I've just had a lot to think about lately...with my studies. And I wasn't very hungry."  
Harry doesn't look too convinced, but he leaves her be. 

Pale hands. Pale roughened hands that were still somehow gentle. They laced through her hair, untangling some of her crazed curls. She was teased for her mane of hair when she was younger. She's now told that it's beautiful. The hands travel, fingers brushing against the side of her neck and across her collarbones, as her breath deepens. They are so firm, so strong. They settle on her shoulders...

The girls were teasing her at lunch. Hermione had hoped that word wouldn't reach the boys. That was an unrealistic hope.  
"Did you really moan about some guy in your sleep, 'Mione?" Ron asked, while reaching for the black pudding.  
Hermione nearly choked on her drink.

Pulling at robes, while pushed against the stone of the castle. Hermione could wrap her hands around the tie in front of her. The red in the bold Gryffindor colors couldn't match the ginger hair above her. God, she wanted to mess that hair up and bruise that pale neck... Was it wrong for her to have this animalistic side? Hermione never knew she could be so territorial. 

Neville was her new breakfast companion. After the incident the week prior, Hermione felt hugely uncomfortable around her regular group of friends. Ron kept making comments, asking her who "the bloke" was. Harry seemed to make the connection between her odd dreams and her odd behavior, which led to more concerns. Ginny just gave her unreadable looks. Hermione wondered if she knew.  
She wasn't ready for people to know yet. She wasn't sure how to confess her feelings yet - she wasn't even sure if she wanted to! Why couldn't she just shut that part of her brain off and go back to how it was last year?  
Neville passed her the beef casserole and she made the decision to try to shove the thoughts away. They would only cause more drama and more teasing. She doubted her feelings would be returned - there was no use wasting her time. 

Several nights of no dreams. No dreams from no sleep. 

She was exhausted but it was worth it. Hermione also hadn't seen her main group of friends much in the past couple of days, but it was worth it. She felt that maybe she could purge the feelings from herself. Being in love with a best friend was horribly inconvenient, and as long she continued avoiding her crush, it would disappear...right?  
She was wrong.  
The Quidditch match was coming up. There was no way she could just not go by this point. Luna had already excitedly made her and Neville both red and gold ponchos to wear, as they cheered on their friends. With Harry as Captain/Seeker, Ginny as a Chaser, and Ron as Keeper... There was just no way she could miss it.  
She stood next to Neville and cheered loudly. She tried not to wince too obviously when Lavender let out another one of her shrieks behind them. Neville did not cover his reaction as easily.  
The Quidditch players flew by so quickly that it was, at times, difficult to tell who was who. The commentary added to the game immensely. That was also due to the fact that Lee Jordan, specially, was the Quidditch Commentator though...  
"Weasley tosses the Quaffle to Thomas and - oh, what a catch!" Lee exclaims. "Ladies, so is Mr. Thomas, I tell you. He can catch your heart just as eas- What, professor? I'm just adding some spice to it!"  
Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the end. It also triggered her thoughts though. Ginny and Dean Thomas had broken up some weeks ago, yet they were still playing together as Chasers for Gryffindor. There was hurt, initially, but they moved past it. There was no major drama with friends choosing sides. It was okay.  
Perhaps dating a friend wouldn't be the end of the world.  
The crowd was cheering again now. It took Hermione a minute to register Harry, his arm raised in the air triumphantly, golden snitch in hand. She cheered too. 

Daydreams. What reaction would her confession gain? Would those lips press against hers finally - or would a rejection come from them? She imagined the later, as she made her way down the stands. 

Too many people. Far too many people in the room for her to do it here. Ron spotted her though, and he was already waving her over to where the rest of the team was. She froze, unsure of what to do. She couldn't go over there now - not when her heart felt like she couldn't hold it in any longer.  
She waved back, as if she didn't know his intent, then started walking in the other direction.  
Hermione was just out of the door, when she felt a hand grab her wrist. She immediately tensed, expecting it to be Ron who followed after her, but the hand was too small.  
"Hermione, are you alright?" Ginny asked.  
Oh man, what was she going to say?  
"I'm fine."  
"No, you aren't," Ginny said, with a sigh, "Listen, everyone's been noticing that you've been acting strangely. Harry's been really concerned and Ron is starting to think that you don't want to be his friend anymore with how much you're avoiding him. I thought maybe you just needed space, but it's been weeks now and I'm starting to agree with Harry."  
Hermione looked down, uncomfortable. She didn't intend to cause so much distress. Ron was starting to think that she didn't even like him now! If her ignoring her feelings was leading to all of this drama... What exactly was she avoiding by not sharing?  
"Hey, look at me," Ginny said, "Whatever it is, you can tell me. You can tell us. I just came to check because there's concern."  
Ah, that was what she was avoiding. The real reason for her refusal to share flashed in her head like an alarm: rejection. She needed to tell them though, regardless of how difficult it was. If she was rejected, then so be it.  
"You're right. Something had been up," Hermione said, slowly, "I...well, I have gained romantic feelings for someone we know."  
"That's it? Hermione, that's hardly something to be ashamed of! I mean...who knows how long we'll last in this war...you might as well love while you can right?"  
Ginny's words were so positive. Her eyes had widened, when Hermione first started speaking, but her features calmed as she gave a response. The corner of her mouth was quirked upwards, when she asked her next question:  
"So, come on, tell me - Who is it?"  
Gryffindors have courage. Hermione could be courageous.  
She thought of spiraling ginger hair. Constellations of freckles. Pale hands. Soft lips. Laughter filling the air. Brown eyes...and the endearing mouth quirk that was now directed towards her in reality, not just her dreams.  
"You."  
And Ginny's lips were just as soft as she had hoped.


End file.
